TMG Partners has been in the business of developing award-winning, financially-successful, community-based real estate for 35 years. As much as we have accomplished over the last three decades, we believe it is the way we THINK about our region, the risks we manage, the critical timing of our projects and the value we create that sets us apart.

Localism

Real Estate is
a local business.

No, really.

We don’t fly in. We live here.

David CropperDirector of Development

The San Francisco Bay Area is an extremely diverse real estate marketplace with countless micro-business climates teeming with possibility. But you have to be here—and know here—to make the most of the opportunities all around us. Having been exclusively committed to the Bay Area for over three decades, we have developed a keen local intuition which gives us a unique advantage in recognizing both the opportunities and risks in this complex market.

Regionalism

We Think Mega

If we try to solve our land use problems by focusing only on the nine Bay Area counties, we will fail.

Michael CovarrubiasChairman & CEO

As the Bay Area’s economy has grown over the last three decades, so too has its challenges—particularly related to transportation, housing, affordability and climate change. To plan for growth of 4 million more people in the next third of a century, TMG is thinking bigger, beyond our nine Bay Area counties, and working on longer term strategies to create greater connectivity across our entire megaregion.

Timing

It’s got to work at low tide as well as high tide.

Some of our best deals are the ones we didn’t do.

Matt FieldChief Investment Officer

Almost anyone can make money in a positive economic climate. But it takes discipline, depth of market knowledge and experience in all major product types to know when to buy and when to sell. The most profitable deals can be the ones you decide just don’t make sense or are outbid by an “out of town” competitor. Because we are active in our markets on a daily basis, TMG Partners has managed a portfolio through 35 years of market cycles that works in all phases and has withstood the sands of time.

Vision

huh?

Once it’s obvious, it’s too late.

Cathy GreenwoldSenior Advisor

If you wait for the statistical proof to confirm real estate opportunities, you’re looking backwards. TMG Partners has cultivated an approach to studying the business landscape that reveals market opportunities before they become obvious. Our contrarian investment strategy balances optimism and caution with the intent of turning forward-looking investments into no-brainers.

Returns

Redefining IRR

Our measure for success goes beyond profit.

Lynn TolinChief Operating Officer

Most investment professionals have a clear understanding of IRR: Internal Rate of Return, a purely financial measurement of performance. At TMG we use a different definition. For us, IRR means balancing Integrity, Relationships and Results. We measure every aspect of our business through this lens to ensure our partners, communities, tenants and buyers are treated with the highest degree of respect and responsibility while we consistently deliver superior financial performance.

Samsung's research and development headquarters may be headed to Mountain View soon, after the City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a pair of six-story buildings along Highway 101 at the city's eastern border.

The 385,000-square-foot campus at 625-685 Clyde Avenue may be the greenest office project of its kind in Silicon Valley, according to developer TMG Partners -- a level of sustainability spurred by the city's new general plan.

The offices will provide enough room for over 1,200 employees of Samsung, which has already signed a lease for the building, said Ken Dupee, partner with developer TMG. "It is the most prestigious group at Samsung -- a top-notch group of engineers who will be doing innovative research out of this facility."

The building is designed to meet the highest standard for sustainability, LEED Platinum, and will use 40 percent less energy, 30 less water and produce 50 percent less waste than average office buildings.

"This will be one of the first projects we're aware of that has achieved LEED platinum -- at this scale for office projects -- in the valley," Dupee said.

The size and density is also unprecedented for Mountain View's office parks, with a 1.0 floor area ratio. A 0.3 ratio was more typical of the city's office buildings. The city's general plan allows it in exchange for elements of "highly sustainable development."

For this project, those elements include bike lanes on Clyde and Logue Avenues, filling sidewalk gaps on Clyde Avenue, free transit passes for employees, secure bike parking, showers, a cafeteria and a "last mile" shuttle system to and from the downtown Caltrain station and the nearby light rail station on Middlefield Road. The shuttles will be publicly accessible "for anyone who finds it convenient to ride" and will run every 20 minutes during peak hours.

The shuttle system is expected to grow as other companies in the area -- including Google -- are invited to join a Transit Management Agency.

"The TMA is open to anyone who wants to ride it," Dupee said. "There are no fees collected, no fare, no ID or pass required." All that is required is "if the bus stops and people will get on it."

The shuttles are important because the building's owners must keep 20 percent of the employees out of cars, or face a $100,000 fine, according to the city's conditions for the project. Council members did not go with lower incremental fines proposed by the developer.

The project also includes 1,165 parking spaces and a pair of six-level parking garages, hidden mostly by trees from the neighboring Sunnyvale golf course.

"What I'm worried about is 1,000 additional cars in the city every day," said Council member Jac Siegel. "And there are multiple projects like this going on."

Before voting to approve it, Siegel noted that such projects are behind the ongoing "gentrification of the city" by tech workers willing to pay more for housing near their jobs. The project brings in "well-educated people, which is good," Siegel said, but "it's going to push out lower income people."